It was great to see the NHL season begin on Tuesday as life is trying to get back to normal around most of the world.
Most of the NHL players are vaccinated fully as Commissioner Gary Bettman said earlier this week that only four players in the league are not.
This will make things a lot easier for most players as there are serious consequences and restrictions for players who are not.
It is nice to see every arena will be able to have full capacity at the games (save for Vancouver at this time as they are still under capacity restrictions) as Toronto and Ottawa were given permission to have full crowds in the last week.
On the ice, some of the perceived bottom dwellers this season, gave better teams everything they could deal with and more as Buffalo upset Montreal while Anaheim upended Winnipeg and Detroit went to overtime before dropping a 7-6 decision to the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Hockey is back!
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WEEK OF OCTOBER 18-24
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4 Games – Anaheim, Detroit, Nashville, New York Islanders, San Jose
3 Games –Arizona, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Montreal, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Seattle, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Vegas, Washington, Winnipeg
2 Games - Carolina, Dallas, Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay
Anaheim, the New York Islanders and San Jose play four games on the road.
Colorado, Los Angeles, New Jersey, the New York Rangers and Vancouver play three games on the road.
Arizona, Chicago, Minnesota, Montreal, Philadelphia, Toronto and Vegas play three games at home.
INJURIES
Mark Stone is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. (Click here to see the rest of the injury list.)
ANAHEIM
Games this week
@ Calgary, @ Edmonton, @ Winnipeg, @ Minnesota
Tired: @ Edmonton (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Ducks surprised everyone on Wednesday with a 4-1 win over Winnipeg...The third overall pick in the 2021 Draft, Mason McTavish, made the team as an 18-year-old and had an outstanding debut, scoring his first NHL goal and adding an assist...The Ducks play four times this week, including three games in four nights as they head on the road for the first time this season...John Gibson, who stoned the Jets by stopping 33-of-34 shots, will get three starts while Anthony Stolarz is expected to start once...Jakob Silfverberg and Isac Lundstrom each chipped in with a pair of assists...It was a bit of a surprise but Sam Steel was a healthy scratch in the opener.
ARIZONA
Games this week
vs. St. Louis, vs. Edmonton, vs. New York Islanders
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Coyotes’ season did not get off to a good start as they dropped an 8-2 decision to lowly Columbus on Thursday...The good news was that they put 38 shots on goal but managed to get two past Elvis Merzlikins...It was a less than stellar Arizona debut in goal for Carter Hutton as he gave up eight goals on only 26 shots...Phil Kessel was considered questionable for the opener due to a foot injury but he was in the lineup for his 901st consecutive game...Former Av Conor Timmins started the season on the first defense pairing with Jakob Chychrun...Victor Soderstrom, the 11th overall pick in 2019, made the Coyotes out of training camp while 2018 first round pick and fifth overall, Barrett Hayton will start the season in the minors as he missed most of training camp with a lower-body injury.
BOSTON
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, @ Buffalo, vs. San Jose
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Bruins and Charlie McAvoy were talking about a new contract as he was able to become an RFA at the end of the season and the two sides agreed on Friday morning to an eight-year contract worth $76 million...The Bruins have been trying out Taylor Hall on the first power play...Boston sent Chris Wagner and Jack Studnicka to Providence of the AHL...Coach Bruce Cassidy said that Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman will be sharing the net during October...It was not a great preseason for Ullmark who was 0-3 with a 3.90 GAA and a .839 save percentage...Curtis Lazar is week-to-week with an upper body injury...David Pastrnak was named to the Czech Republic Olympic team for the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
BUFFALO
Games this week
vs. Vancouver, vs. Boston, @ New Jersey
Tired: @ New Jersey (Saturday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Sabres were expected to be the worst team in the NHL this season but they got their regular season off to a great start as they upended Montreal 5-1...Craig Anderson got the start and stopped 30-of-31 shots...Casey Mittelstadt started the season on the top line but was injured in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return...The Sabres sent John-Jason Peterka to Rochester to start the upcoming season...He was selected 34th overall in 2020 and the Sabres are quite high on him after a couple of solid seasons in the German League where he played against men...Zemgus Girgensons was named to Latvia’s 2022 Olympic team...He had the winner Thursday and chipped in with an assist.
CALGARY
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, @ Detroit, @ Washington
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Flames are looking for a big season from Sean Monahan who had a couple of bad seasons in his last two years...He spent most of the 2020-21 season in lots of pain with a bad hip but had off-season surgery and is a lot healthier heading into the regular season...Look for a big comeback season from Monahan...Michael Stone is in COVID-19 protocol...Oliver Kylington will start the season with the Flames...Look for Rasmus Andersson to take over quarterbacking the first power play from the departed Mark Giordano...Blake Coleman returns this week after serving a one-game regular season suspension for boarding Winnipeg’s Jansen Harkins.
CAROLINA
Games this week
@ Montreal, @ Columbus
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Hurricanes play only twice for the second week in a row...Andrei Svechnikov did not have the season predicted for him last year with 15 goals and 42 points after a 61 point effort as a sophomore, but broke out of the gate with a huge game Thursday with a two goal and three point effort against the Islanders...The controversial Tony DeAngelo picked up a couple of assists in his Carolina debut Thursday...Frederik Andersen got the shot got the start and kicked out 25 shots in the 6-3 win...Seth Jarvis made the team out of camp but the 19-year-old, who was the 13th pick in the 2020 Draft, was a healthy scratch in the opener...Jake Gardiner has been placed on long-term injured reserve with hip and back issues.
CHICAGO
Games this week
vs. New York Islanders, vs. Vancouver, vs. Detroit
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Detroit (Sunday)
Notes
The Blackhawks play all three games at home this week after starting the season with three road games...It was nice to see Jonathan Toews back in a Chicago uniform Wednesday after he missed all of last season with chronic immune response syndrome and played 17:15, going 16-of-24 at the faceoff dot...It was a tough debut in a Chicago uniform for Marc-Andre Fleury as he gave up four goals in a loss to Colorado...Dylan Strome was a healthy scratch Wednesday and it would not be a surprise to see him moved to another team...Erik Gustafsson also missed Wednesday’s tilt as he is dealing with an immigration issue...Kevin Lankinen is the backup to Fleury while Collin Delia and Malcolm Subban will tend the net in Rockford after both passed through waivers.
COLORADO
Games this week
@ Washington, @ Florida, @ Tampa Bay
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Avalanche lost Nathan MacKinnon to COVID protocols and he sat out the opener against Chicago Wednesday. Hopefully he will be back in time for the Washington game on Tuesday if not earlier...He will be missing linemate Gabriel Landeskog as the captain was suspended for two games as he boarded Chicago’s Kirby Dach Wednesday. He will be eligible to return for the Florida game...Nazem Kadri took MacKinnon’s spot on the top line Wednesday and responded with a goal and an assist...It was quite a night for rookie defenseman Bowen Byram as he had a goal and an assist as well...Pavel Francouz is out for another three weeks with a sprained ankle, leaving the backup role in net to Jonas Johansson.
COLUMBUS
Games this week
@ Detroit, vs. New York Islanders, vs. Carolina
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Blue Jackets surprised a lot of people with a big 8-2 win Thursday but they were playing Arizona who are expected to be near the bottom of the NHL standings by the end of the season...It was a nice return to action for Max Domi who surprised a lot of people by being healthy enough to return to action after off-season shoulder surgery that was expected to keep him out of action until November or even December...He had a goal and two assists on a line with Cole Sillinger and Boone Jenner...It was Sillinger’s NHL debut after he was selected 12th overall in 2021 and he picked up an assist...It must have been a hard game emotionally for goaltender Elvis Merzlikins as his buddy and fellow goalkeeper Matiss Kivlenieks passed away in the summer. Merzlikins was outstanding, turning aside 36-of-38 shots...Alexandre Texier is centering the top line with Patrik Laine and Jakub Voracek as his wingers and it is a great spot for the 22-year-old to be in...He is worth looking at in deep leagues...Oliver Bjorkstrand had a four-point night against Arizona Thursday.
DALLAS
Games this week
@ Pittsburgh, vs. Los Angeles
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Stars lost a couple of players Thursday as goaltender Braden Holtby was forced to leave the game due to his being dehydrated, while John Klingberg took a high hit from the Rangers Chris Kreider and suffered an apparent leg injury...Klingberg will be re-evaluated on Friday...Miro Heiskanen had a strong opening game with a goal and an assist...Jason Robertson is out of action with an upper-body injury. Consider him day-to-day...This is a pivotal season for the Stars as many of their veterans are entering the final year of their respective contracts including Joe Pavelski, Alexander Radulov, John Klingberg and netminders Ben Bishop (who is injured) and Anton Khudobin...The Stars goalie of the future, Jake Oettinger, has been sent to the Texas Stars of the AHL.
DETROIT
Games this week
vs. Columbus, vs. Calgary, @ Montreal, @ Chicago
Tired: @ Chicago (Sunday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Red Wings play four games this week including three games in four nights...Expect to see Alex Nedeljkovic play at least twice and likely three times with Thomas Greiss playing once...It was quite a night on Thursday for Tyler Bertuzzi...He lit the lamp four times against the best goalkeeper in the world, Andrei Vasilevskiy in the Red Wings opener...Bertuzzi was off to a good start last season before back woes and subsequent surgery finished his season at nine games. He still tied for the Detroit lead in power play goals with three, so expect a big season if he stays healthy...It was a tough loss for Detroit Thursday as they were up 6-3 past the halfway mark of the third and managed to give up three goals in the third and then lose it in overtime...Alex Nedeljkovic gave up all seven goals on 48 shots...Lucas Raymond, the fourth overall pick in the 2020 Draft, played great in the preseason but still needs to play well all season or he could find himself in the minors for seasoning...He is starting on the top line with Bertuzzi and Dylan Larkin and had an assist in his NHL debut...Joe Veleno was sent to the minors along with Taro Hirose...The Red Wings released Bobby Ryan from his PTO.
EDMONTON
Games this week
vs. Anaheim, @ Arizona, @ Vegas
Tired: @ Vegas (Friday)
Rested: vs. Anaheim (Tuesday)
Notes
The Oilers play three games in four nights so look for Mike Smith to get a pair of starts between the pipes with Mikko Koskinen playing once...Connor McDavid set up a pair of goals in the Oilers 3-2 shootout win on opening night...The Oilers paired Leon Draisaitl with McDavid and Jesse Puljujarvi on the top line Wednesday with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins centering Zach Hyman and Kailer Yamamoto on the second unit...The Oilers hope to have Zack Kassian back by the Anaheim game, if not earlier, as he had been suffering from a head injury...Kyle Turris was sent to the minors on Monday but was recalled before Wednesday’s opener and scored the shootout winner...Hyman scored a power play goal in his Edmonton debut.
FLORIDA
Games this week
@ Tampa Bay, vs. Colorado, @ Philadelphia
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Panthers picked up an overtime win over the Penguins in their opener Thursday...Sergei Bobrovsky got the start and stopped 43-of-47 in the 5-4 overtime win...Bobrovsky has had a couple of tough seasons with the Panthers and has to be looking over his shoulder as rookie sensation Spencer Knight is coming on fast...Carter Verhaeghe, one of the NHL’s biggest surprises last season, continued his surprising pace as he had a pair of goals...Playing alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart on the top line certainly does not hurt his fantasy appeal...Anton Lundell made his NHL debut Thursday on the third line between Patric Hornqvist and Frank Vatrano.
LOS ANGELES
Games this week
@ Nashville, @ Dallas, @ St. Louis
Tired: @ St. Louis (Saturday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Kings got off to a great start as they upended the Golden Knights 6-2 behind the hat trick of Anze Kopitar (as well as two assists) and fellow veteran Drew Doughty who had a goal and three assists...Cal Petersen got the start and stopped 23 shots, entrenching him for now as the number one goaltender, ahead of Jonathan Quick...Lias Andersson is out of action with a groin injury...Undrafted rookie Vladimir Tkachev made the final roster cut and the 25-year-old chipped in with a pair of assists in his debut, playing with Kopitar...Quinton Byfield is out indefinitely with a fractured left ankle...Olli Maatta is practicing again after getting banged up in a preseason game on October 3.
MINNESOTA
Games this week
vs. Winnipeg, vs. Anaheim, vs. Nashville
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Wild get their season underway on October 15...Brandon Duhaime was a surprise in training camp and made the Wild’s final roster as they sent Marco Rossi and Adam Beckman to the minors...Nico Sturm is looking for a bigger role this season with Minnesota after scoring 11 goals and adding six assists in 50 games last season...Matthew Boldy is worth looking at in fantasy leagues eventually but he will miss the next four-six weeks with a fractured ankle...Look for a big season from Kirill Kaprizov who won the Calder last season with a 27 goal, 24 assist season in 55 contests. He could get 40-45 goals and 80-plus points.
MONTREAL
Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs. Carolina, vs. Detroit
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Canadiens are off to a slow start, losing 2-1 to Toronto on opening night and then looking pretty bad as lowly Buffalo knocked them off 5-1 Thursday...Jeff Petry was pretty critical of the team after the abysmal showing Thursday...The Canadiens picked up Adam Brooks off waivers from Toronto but he has yet to play...It was great to see Jonathan Drouin back in the Montreal lineup after he left the team last season due to mental health issues. He scored the lone goal Wednesday against Toronto and everyone is glad to see him back and especially happy...The Canadiens locked up their best center Nick Suzuki as he inked an eight-year deal worth $63 million...Montreal did not want a repeat of the Jesperi Kotkaniemi fiasco which saw Carolina give him an offer sheet that the Canadiens did not match.
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NASHVILLE
Games this week
vs. Los Angeles, vs. New York Rangers, @ Winnipeg, @ Minnesota
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Predators play four games this week including three games in four nights...While Juuse Saros is expected to get three starts, look for David Rittich to make his first start of the season this week...The Predators lost 4-3 to the Kraken Thursday, providing Seattle with their first ever NHL win...Saros gave up three goals on 25 shots but he is a fantasy asset and is worth having on your roster...Mikael Granlund was in on every goal with a marker and two assists...The Predators extended the contract of defenseman Mattias Ekholm for another four seasons, giving him $25 million...The Predators sent Egor Afanasyev to the minors...Roman Josi, who scored on Thursday, was named to the Swiss Olympic team.
NEW JERSEY
Games this week
vs. Seattle, vs. Washington, vs. Buffalo
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Seattle (Tuesday), vs. Buffalo (Saturday)
Notes
The Devils open on October 15...Look for Jonathan Bernier to get the opening night start as Mackenzie Blackwood is unlikely to play due to a heel injury...Bernier is also recovering from a lower-body injury but practiced on Thursday...Damon Severson is hoping to return in time for Tuesday’s game against the Kraken as he has been dealing with a muscle strain...The 18th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, Dawson Mercier, has made the Devils roster out of training camp...Ty Smith, the outstanding rookie from the 2020-21 season, will start the season on the injured reserve list but it was retroactive and he could be back in time for the opener...Once again, I am expecting a big season from Jack Hughes.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Games this week
@ Chicago, @ Columbus, @ Arizona, @ Vegas
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Islanders play all four games on the road as they await the opening of their new arena in November...New York plays three games in four nights and assuming Semyon Varlamov is healthy, he and Ilya Sorokin will share the net...If not, look for Sorokin to play three times with Cory Schneider playing once...It was a tough opening night for the Islanders who began their 13-game road trip with a 6-3 loss to Carolina...Kieffer Bellows and Leo Komarov were healthy scratches on Thursday...Ryan Pulock has agreed to a contract extension, reportedly eight years at an AAV of $6.15 per season...Michael Del Colle has passed through waivers and will start the season in the minors...Zach Parise and Zdeno Chara had their contracts filed with the NHL this past week.
NEW YORK RANGERS
Games this week
@ Toronto, @ Nashville, @ Ottawa
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Rangers are off to a slow start as they lost their first two games, but did pick up a point Thursday with an overtime loss to Dallas...It was a bit of a surprise that Alexandar Georgiev got the opening night assignment over Igor Shesterkin but the Rangers played back-to-back games and the Rangers likely wanted Shesterkin to play the home opener...It just didn’t work out...Chris Kreider has goals in each of his first two games with Adam Fox scoring the only other Rangers goal...The Rangers sent Vitali Kravtsov to the minors and is looking for a trade elsewhere...While he would not report to Hartford of the AHL, he is willing to play in the AHL for another team...Unfortunately, the Rangers supposedly want a top-six forward in return for Kravtsov who was selected ninth overall in 2018.
OTTAWA
Games this week
vs. San Jose, vs, New York Rangers
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Senators finally got Brady Tkachuk’s name on a new contract as he inked a seven-year/$57.5 million deal...While he should be back in the lineup this week, he could be back a little sooner...The Senators were pretty excited to get their best player back and went out and beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 with Tyler Ennis leading the way offensively with a goal and an assist...Matt Murray was unable to start due to a non-COVID related illness so Anton Forsberg got the gig and was sensational, stopping 46 shots...Erik Brannstrom was sent to the minors...In the meantime, Tim Stutzle took Tkachuk’s job on the first time with Josh Norris and Drake Batherson but look for him to move down to the second unit when Tkachuk returns.
PHILADELPHIA
Games this week
vs. Seattle, vs. Boston, vs. Florida
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Flyers placed Kevin Hayes (abdominal surgery) on the injured reserve list but should be back in three-five weeks...The Flyers claimed tough guy Zach MacEwen off waivers from Vancouver...Rasmus Ristolainen has not practiced of late with an undisclosed injury and while he skated before practice on Thursday, he is not ready to return to action...Ryan Ellis returned to practice on Thursday and is expected to play in the opener...Cam York did not make the team and was sent to the minors...The defenseman was taken 14th overall in 2019 and will be a solid contributor to the Flyers in the future...The Flyers need a big comeback season from Carter Hart who was very good in the first two seasons in the NHL before suffering through a horrible 2020-21 campaign.
PITTSBURGH
Games this week
vs. Dallas, vs. Toronto
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Toronto (Saturday)
Notes
The Penguins opened the NHL season with a surprising 6-2 win over the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, but before you think they are an offensive juggernaut, they did manage to score three times into the empty net...They scored four times against the Panthers on Thursday but dropped a 5-4 decision in overtime...Danton Heinen has goals in each of his first two games...Jeff Carter’s goal on Thursday was the 400th of his NHL career...Jake Guentzel returned to the lineup Thursday after missing one regular season game as he was on the COVID protocol list and scored his first of the season...Kris Letang has a pair of assists in each of his first two games.
SAN JOSE
Games this week
@ Montreal, @ Ottawa, @ Toronto, @ Boston
Tired: @ Toronto (Friday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Sharks head to the road where they play all four times this week, including three games in four nights...Adin Hill and James Reimer are expected to share the net...The Sharks claimed Jonah Gadjovich off waivers from Vancouver but he has yet to join the team due to immigration issues...Defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov is expected to be out long-term as he has been dealing with a lower-body injury that is not believed to be a sports hernia...Eighteen-year-old rookie William Eklund, who was selected seventh overall in the 2021 Draft, made the Sharks roster out of training camp...Evander Kane is considered to be a non-roster player, pending the completion of the NHL’s investigations into a few incidents. Stay tuned and reserve him for now.
SEATTLE
Games this week
@ Philadelphia, @ New Jersey, vs. Vancouver
Tired: @ New Jersey (Tuesday)
Rested: None
Notes
The Kraken start the season on a five-game road trip and finally return home for their first game in front of the hometown crowd as their new arena is finally ready...Congratulations go out to the Kraken for their first NHL win as they defeated Nashville on Thursday 4-3 after losing to Vegas 4-3 Tuesday...Jared McCann led the way offensively with a goal and an assist Thursday after he scored on Tuesday...Congratulations also go out to Ryan Donato for scoring the first regular season goal in Seattle Kraken history...The Kraken claimed Alex Barre-Boulet off waivers from Tampa Bay and that was a very good move...Marcus Johansson is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
ST. LOUIS
Games this week
@ Arizona, @ Vegas, vs. Los Angeles
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Los Angeles (Saturday)
Notes
The Blues recalled Klim Kostin from the minors on Tuesday...The Blues sent Logan Brown to the minors after a mediocre training camp and a trade from Ottawa...Coach Craig Berube said that Brown’s confidence level is low and that he needs to play in the minors and succeed to regain his confidence...Jake Neighbours made the Blues out of training camp but the 19-year-old rookie who was selected 26th in the 2020 Draft, can still be returned to junior hockey at any time...The Blues signed James Neal to a contract after he made the team while playing on a PTO...The Blues sent Scott Perunovich to the minors but he should see at least some NHL action this season...Oskar Sundqvist will start the season on the long-term injured reserve list.
TAMPA BAY
Games this week
vs. Florida, vs. Colorado
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Lightning looked to be off to an 0-2 start as they were down 6-3 to Detroit with less than seven minutes to go in the third period, after losing 6-2 to Pittsburgh Tuesday, but a furious comeback allowed the Lightning to tie the score in regulation before Ondrej Palat ended it in overtime...Victor Hedman had four assists Thursday after picking up one on Tuesday...Nikita Kucherov had a four-point night on Thursday...Steven Stamkos had a pair of goals Thursday and has five points in two games...It has not been a great start to the season for Andrei Vasilevskiy who has given up nine goals on 58 shots in two games...Zach Bogosian is out four-six weeks with a lower-body injury and the Lightning recalled Andrej Sustr to replace him.
TORONTO
Games this week
vs. New York Rangers, vs. San Jose, @ Pittsburgh
Tired: @ Pittsburgh (Saturday)
Rested: vs. San Jose (Friday)
Notes
The Maple Leafs split their first two games without Auston Matthews who is expected to miss at least one more game after off-season wrist surgery...The Maple Leafs may have lost goaltender Petr Mrazek who exited Thursday’s game after two periods with a lower-body injury...Jack Campbell finished up and stopped all 10 shots after stopping 31-of-32 Wednesday against Montreal...Ilya Mikheyev is out eight weeks with a broken thumb that required surgery...William Nylander is off to a good start with goals in each of his first two games as well as 11 shots on goal...Michael Bunting is seeing second line minutes with Mikheyev out of action...John Tavares has one assist in two games centering Nick Ritchie and Mitch Marner.
VANCOUVER
Games this week
@ Buffalo, @ Chicago, @ Seattle
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Canucks complete their six-game road trip to start the season this week...The Canucks looked good in coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the third period Wednesday before dropping a 3-2 shootout decision to the Oilers...Brock Boeser missed the opener with an undisclosed injury...The good news is that he is skating with the team but did not take line rushes...Alex Chiasson made the Canucks after entering training camp on a PTO...Travis Hamonic was not claimed off waivers and is likely to report to Abbotsford of the AHL once he is ready to return to hockey as he has been absent while attending to some personal matters...The Canucks have picked up Noah Juulsen and Juho Lammikko from Florida in exchange for Olli Juolevi...Juolevi was a disappointment for Vancouver ever since he was drafted fifth overall in 2016. Maybe a change in scenery will help.
VEGAS
Games this week
vs. St. Louis, vs. Edmonton, vs. New York Islanders
Tired: None
Rested: vs. Edmonton (Friday), vs. New York Islanders (Sunday)
Notes
The Golden Knights have not looked good in the opening week as they allowed Seattle to come back from a 3-0 deficit before winning late...Mark Stone was injured in the second period of the Los Angeles game Thursday and is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury...Robin Lehner has given up seven goals on 62 shots in the Golden Knights first two contests...Mattias Janmark is in COVID protocol and missed the first two games of the season...Max Pacioretty had a pair of goals and an assist in the Golden Knights victory over Seattle...William Carrier is in concussion protocol after he took a skate to his head in preseason play...Shea Theodore scored his first of the season Thursday.
WASHINGTON
Games this week
vs. Colorado, @ New Jersey, vs. Calgary
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Capitals were thrilled that Alex Ovechkin (lower body) was able to go for the opener Wednesday and he was outstanding with a pair of goals and two assists...He had all his points on special teams with a goal and two assists coming on the power play and also scoring shorthanded, something he has not done since the 2008-09 season...His second goal gave him 732 in his career, surpassing Marcel Dionne for fifth place all-time in the NHL...The Capitals claimed Dennis Cholowski off waivers from Seattle...Cholowski was taken 20th overall by Detroit just five years ago and is only 23 so the hope is that he can take a leap forward with Washington...Vitek Vanecek got the start over Ilya Samsonov in the opener and gave up only one goal on 24 shots in the easy win over the Rangers...Congratulations go out to Hendrix Lapierre who made his NHL debut Wednesday and scored his first goal.
WINNIPEG
Games this week
@ Minnesota, vs. Anaheim, vs. Nashville
Tired: None
Rested: None
Notes
The Jets did not look great in losing to Anaheim Wednesday but will get Mark Scheifele back on Saturday after he sat out the opener due to a suspension from the playoffs last season...Kyle Connor is vastly underrated and scored the Jets lone goal against the Ducks...The Jets inked Evgeny Svechnikov to a one-year/two-way contract...To make room for Svechnikov on the roster, the Jets sent defenseman Ville Heinola to the minors...Bryan Little will once again start the season on the long-term injured reserve list...He suffered a perforated eardrum and vertigo symptoms a couple of seasons ago and has not played in almost two years...Cole Perfetti, the Jets first-round pick and 10th overall in 2020, made his NHL debut Wednesday and was a minus-one in 9:49...He has a very bright future.
